The purpose of this proposal is to continue and expand a Bridges to the Future: Master's to the Doctoral Degree Program by supporting students in the M.S. program at Southern University (SU), Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC), Jackson State University (JSU), the University of Texas-Brownsville (UTB), Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), and Grambling State University (GSU) by enhancing their preparation for study in the Ph.D. program in the Biomedical Sciences at the University of North Texas Health Science Center-Fort Worth (HSC). Candidates in the partner institutions will complete the second year of their M.S. degree program in the laboratories of their home institution or at the HSC as Bridge students following acceptance into the program. Each student will have a five member M.S. committee composed of three faculty members from their home institution and two faculty members from the HSC. Students who elect to complete their MS research at the HSC will work under the supervision of an HSC Research Director, and a home institution Major Professor. Students who remain at their home institution for their research will work under the supervision of their major professor, and travel to the HSC periodically to work with HSC faculty. HSC faculty will provide research seminars at the partner institutions, and will offer long-distance learning courses to partner institutions, including periodic visits to the partner campus. Partner institution faculty will be encouraged to establish collaborative research efforts with HSC faculty, such that they may spend periods of time at an HSC laboratory. These efforts may stimulate the development of collaborative research projects at the partner institutions, and facilitate the transition for students to the HSC for their doctoral work. Students who successfully complete their Master's degree in the Bridge program will gain a "seamless" acceptance into the HSC doctoral program. The HSC will provide at least two new institutional doctoral fellowships each year to these students, and will assist in the procurement of departmental and individual doctoral fellowships so that all Bridge students will secure fellowship funding throughout their doctoral studies at the HSC.